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Mugenjishi
Mugenjishi is the second largest city on Cabina, after the capital of Lux Gravare but before the industrial center of Gadalfo. It lies roughly 1,000 miles north past the border of Cabina's temperate equatorial region, well into the northern polar ice cap. It was built in a large valley carved out of the ice by the planetary bombardement of the Blood Eagle's fleet. Mugenjishi is dominated by temples and churches, and for many of the more spiritual and esoteric sects of the Repentant faith. The city serves as a kind of second capital after that of Lux Gravare. Only about two-thirds of the city's population is made up off actual permanent residents. Most of which are monks or priests or people otherwise officially affiliated with one of the temples or churches. The remaining third is made up of an ever changing population of pilgrims that come to Mugenjishi for stays lasting from days to years. At peak population, Mugenjishi is inhabited by just over a million people. Locations The Ten Approaches Mugenjishi has a shuttle port, but its primary use is for shipments of supplies, for business or emergency travel, and for out-going travel. The majority of visitors to the city are, after all, pilgrims, and the proper way for a pilgrim to approach Mugenjishi is through one of the ten approaches. These approaches are divided based on the difficulty of entering the city by them. Mugenjishi sits in a crater resulting from the Blood Eagle's planetary bombardment, one side of which is a fairly gentle slope, while the other is a steep cliff. Officially, each of the ten approaches extends further down the glacier all the way back to Pilgrim's Gate. Unofficially, there is considerable overlap between these trails, and they are as much defined by local custom and marketing as the actual traversability or lack thereof of the actual geography. Main Pilgrim's Approach The main approach, and the one people are expected to take, follows the safest route down the steep side of the crater. The experience of following this path is truly breathtaking. As the pilgrim approaches the crater edge, statues and shrines carved out of the ice line the path. And then, the great temple city appears in view from the edge of the crater. The path down-ward is steep, but only moderately difficult. It leads straight into the commercial district, with eager shopkeepers ready to sell the weary pilgrims all the comforts of civilization. Penitent Person's Approach For those who want to put the grim into pilgrim, the penitent person's approach follows the hardest path possible. It is a treacherous climb, and every year some number of over-confident or over-zealous pilgrims plummet to their deaths making the attempt. Due to the danger, there are in fact three alternate routes for the penitent person's approach, giving travelers the opportunity to choose a less arduous path if their courage or body fails them part-way down. The hardest and most dangerous path takes the penitent pilgrim straight on the road to the Cathedral of Repentance, the others ending in the commercial district. Eight Easy Approaches Technically, the slope side of the crater can be approached without following any particular path. However,shrines and and memorials were set-up to establish eight 'official' approaches, bringing the total number of approaches to the city to the holy number of ten. To some, calling them the "easy" approaches is a mark of disdain for those who'd choose the "easy" route. But to many of the less zealously Repentant pilgrims it is an excellent advertisement. Especially the type of 'pilgrim' that would have themselves flown in by private shuttle to just a twenty minute walk away from the city tends to prefer one of the eight easy approaches. City Hall Even a temple-city still needs a government. Monks and pilgrims may also commit crimes, and disputes between churches or monasteries need to be settled somewhere. The City-Hall is in a small walled neighborhood, thus separated off from the rest of this city. This wall exists both for security reasons and because some people living inside this neighborhood would prefer to have as little interaction with the rest of the city as possible. Though most of the city officials are Repentant, this also where the local Crux officers have their offices and where corporations or houses with official attaches to the city will have stationed their personnel. Due to Mugenjishi's isolation, non-Repentants consider this a punitive post, i.e. a position one is assigned to as punishment for failure or incompetence. However, due to the city's relative size and importance to planetary culture, most organizations active on Cabina do consider it necessary to have at least someone present as their point-of-contact in Mugenjishi. Accordingly, this is also where SERAPH has established its official local office. Cathedral of Repentance The Cathedral of Repentance was built and financed by the Church of Humanity Repentant as a multi-sect project meant to represent the unity of the Repentant church in spite of its division into countless sects. It is the largest building in Mugenjishi, made of towering arches encompassing stained glass windows depicting the Great Rethinkers of the Repentant faith. Inside, its walls are decorated with tens of thousands of veils, each having been used in the unveiling ceremony of a newly Repentant faithful. Absolution Square The main square in Mugenjishi. Its two features are the numerous, and at times annoyingly persistent, salespeople managing stalls for pilgrims of the more touristy persuasion and the Great Baptismal Fountain. The fountain is carved with depictions of the "sins of humanity", and lined with statues of Great Rethinkers crying, their tears being the water that fills the fountain. On certain holidays, the fountain is used for a mass baptism (an aquatic form of unveiling), though on any day there's usually a priest and pilgrim in one corner of the fountain or other performing a ceremony for the pilgrim to "confess their sins and embrace repentance". Commercial District Though many pilgrims scoff at the commercialization of religion, very few manage to truly resist the lure of the comforts of civilization, or a nice trinket to take back home with them. The commercial district thrives on servicing these people especially. Though there are shops catering to more discerning clientele, the less tourist-pilgrim-focused shops are more likely found scattered throughout the rest of the city proper. Entertainment District Even the Repentant need to blow off steam from time to time, not to mention all the students of the various religious and private academies that may have been sent here more due to their parent's zeal than their own. Kept a distance away from the city proper, both for proprieties' sake and the privacy of the clientele, the entertainment district provides all what could be expected under that name. Though the city proper will also have bars, cafes, and the occasional club, the real nightlife happens here. Mugenjishi School for Ancient Divination An academy founded by several sects, but most known for the prominent involvement of the Velan sect called the Way. After the previously underground Way became a member of the Church of Humanity, Repentant, the school was founded to provide a place for the previously covertly handed down traditions and techniques to be taught and preserved openly, here in Mugenjishi, far away from the prying eyes of the High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox. Concurrently, the Mugenjishi School for Ancient Divination is easily identified by the prevalence of Velan architecture and the large amount of Velan exchange students. Plowshares Academy The Plowshares Academy boarding school in Mugenjishi was founded by some of the original Reticulum nobles who joined the first wave of Repentant settlers on Cabina in the aftermath of the reign of the Blood Eagle. It offers a traditional Reticulum education, but modified with greater emphasis on Repentant values such as respect and non-violent conflict resolution where possible. It also includes as an optional subset of its curriculum classes in classical literature, art, tea preparation, and traditional Reticulum tea ceremony. Starting around age fourteen, the academy, in standard Reticulum fashion, separates students into their own distinct crafter or wielder education. However, the Reticulum community on Cabina is only large and connected enough for the academy to attract just a few Kannushi or Yaksha, whose tutelage is required for a member of House Reticulum to officially gain the crafter title of Shinkan or wielder title Rakshasa. Depending on their level of attention and diligence, or desire to take part in wider Reticulum affairs beyond Cabina, many students will "graduate" without either title, viewing their education at Plowshares mainly as a way to connect culturally with their Reticulum heritage. Crater Cliffs and Surrounding Areas Though most of the population lives in the city-proper, various religious communities feel this is too busy and civilized for a true religious experiences. Dozens of them have carved out monasteries in the cliff-side ice. Others have built monasteries in the glacier surrounding the city itself, at short or long walks distance. A significant portion of Mugenjishi's population resides in these off-map communities. Pilgrim's Gate Pilgrim's Gate is a small town just on the edge of Cabina's equatorial region. It is the starting point of a pilgrimage that takes pilgrims to Mugenjishi by land. It is an arduous journey, a solid month of travel across hundreds of miles of the Hamasa Glacier (or "Lord Patel Glacier.") One of Pilgrim's Gate's main features is thus a hospital equipped with ample medical evacuation shuttles which routinely cross into the polar region to recover over-confident or unlucky pilgrims. In addition, Pilgrim's Gate also has several people and companies offering shuttles to different starting points, closer to Mugenjishi, up to as much as just hours or days away. However, these have to compete with better funded and equipped services operating directly from the planet's capital of Lux Gravare. Notable Mugenjishin NPCs These characters were explicitly made to serve as NPC's in Mugenjishi, reflecting the culture and setting of the city. Anyone writing Cabina lore or playing a role-playing game set on Cabina should feel encouraged to reference these characters or have them cameo. Mentions in the News * SPECIAL REPORT: Who are the Ms. Cabina Cups? The Elite Pageant Winners now Running the Show! (Twitter link) ** Plowshares Academy discussed. * SPECIAL REPORT: Repentant Sects - Where Are They Now? (Twitter link) ** Includes an interview with a member of The Way at the Mugenjishi School for Ancient Divination, about their plans and concerns after the dissolution of the CHR. * BREAKING NEWS: Final Candidates for Cabina Governor Present Themselves! (Twitter link) ** The Grand Chemex, the winner of Cabina's Second Governor Election of 3200, has a biography associated with Pilgrim's Gate and Mugenjishi. Category:Cities Category:Cabina Category:The Church of Humanity, Repentant Category:SERAPH